The 12th-seeded men's hockey team didn't go into the first round of the ECAC Hockey Tournament trying to defy history. They went in just trying to extend their season - and end 5th-seeded Harvard's. All signs suggested that wouldn't happen.
A 12-seed had never defeated a 5-seed since the current format of the tournament began in 2003. Brown (7-21-5, 5-15-4 ECAC) hadn't won back-to-back games in over a year, and Harvard (9-16-6, 9-7-6 ECAC Hockey) hadn't been shut out at home in consecutive games in 111 years.
All streaks end sometime.
In a best-of-three-game series that only needed two contests, the Bears stunned Harvard. In 86 shots over two games, the Crimson didn't score once on goalie Mike Clemente '12.
"Nobody really expected this," said Harvard captain Brian McCafferty. "But that's why they play the games I guess."
Brown 1, Harvard 0
Coming into Friday night's game, Clemente had never posted a shutout in his young career at Brown and forward Harry Zolnierczyk '11 hadn't scored a goal in two years. But when the final buzzer sounded, Clemente was a perfect 39 for 39 in goal, and Zolnierczyk had scored the game's only goal.
Harvard goalie Ryan Carroll stayed even with Clemente in the first period, stopping all seven shots he faced. Harvard maintained a 13-7 shot advantage in the scoreless first period.
The Crimson's six-game unbeaten streak looked like it was in danger when the Bears came out with the first six shots of the second period. But Carroll denied every shot, and the Crimson regained an 11-10 shot advantage by the end of the frame.
The final period was 15-5 for Harvard on the shot charts, but 1-0 for Brown on the scoreboard.
Just over three minutes into the third, Brown's fourth line produced the game's only goal. David Brownschidle '11 shot a backhand from close in on Carroll. Carroll denied the shot, but couldn't corral the rebound. Zolnierczyk slapped the wild puck into the back of the net for the game's only goal.
"I thought the fourth line was tremendous," said Brown's Head Coach Roger Grillo.
Harvard put the pressure on Clemente in the final minutes - Carroll left the net with 46 seconds left on the clock, giving the Crimson an extra attacker.
But Clemente, playing in his first collegiate postseason game, embraced the pressure.
"It's fun," he said. "When you're a little kid, you want to be in a 1-0 or 2-0 playoff game where your team needs you."
With the man advantage, Harvard fired shot after shot on Clemente. Doug Rogers shot two one-timers - the first of which Clemente pushed aside and the second of which sailed wide.
The rebounds kept coming out to Harvard, and Crimson assistant captain Alex Biega got the final chance. He wound up from the right point and sent a rocket at the goal, but Clemente maintained his shutout with his 39th stop of the night.
Brown 2, Harvard 0
The Bears showed no signs of slowing down on Saturday, as Clemente blanked the Crimson again with a career-high 47 saves.
"I don't think I've ever had back-to-back shutouts" at any level, Clemente said.
Eric Slais '09 and assistant captain Aaron Volpatti '10 gave Clemente some insurance, scoring a goal apiece, both of which were assisted by assistant captain Matt Vokes '09.
Unlike Friday night, Clemente didn't have to defend the goal with a blank scoreboard for long. Less than three minutes after the puck dropped, Vokes, skating along the left boards, spotted Slais cutting from center ice to the left face-off circle, with only one defender standing between Slais and the goalie.
"To be honest with you, I don't know how I got around the guy," Slais said. "I'm not the fastest skater."
But Slais lowered his head, powered forward and came up on Carroll all alone, then backhanded the puck through the five-hole to put Brown up, 1-0.
Harvard controlled the rest of the period, gaining a 15-8 shot advantage. The Crimson got their closest chance when Captain Jimmy Fraser fired a wrist-shot on a two-on-one break. The puck hit the top right post, ricocheted across the goal to the left post and bounced out.
Despite the bounce-out, the siren lit up as Fraser hoisted his stick in the air. But after a referee huddle, the striped shirts ruled that the puck had not crossed the goal line plane, preserving Brown's 1-0 lead.
The call looked like it was going to be crucial after neither team scored in the second period, and it remained a one-goal game.
But the Bears made it a two-goal game just under three and a half minutes into the final frame, when Volpatti managed to get a shot out of a cluster in the slot in front of Harvard's goal.
Carroll left Harvard's net with 2:14 left in favor of an extra attacker. The Crimson got a two-man advantage when Slais was whistled for hooking with less than two minutes on the clock.
Despite the six-on-four attacker advantage, Harvard couldn't find the back of the net. The Crimson took the last 11 shots of the game, but Clemente stopped them all, bringing his total to 47 saves.
"Their goalie was seeing the puck well," said Harvard Head Coach Ted Donato, shaking his head. "He was incredible."
With 4.8 seconds left on the clock, the whistle blew, stopping time once more. The small contingent of Brown fans, wearing team jerseys, stood up and began clapping. They didn't stop until after the buzzer, while the Bears slapped each other on the helmets and jumped up and down in a huddle.
"There's just a good feeling in the locker room right now, and it hasn't been there for a couple of years," Slais said, while Clemente added "It's kind of fun to end someone's season."
The win sends Brown to New Haven, Conn. next weekend for another three-game series in the ECAC quarterfinals against top seed Yale (20-7-2, 15-5-2 ECAC Hockey), ranked No. 10 in the nation.
